All patients will undergo simulation radiation treatment planning and will not know if they received radiation or not. For patients randomized to receive preoperative radiation, we will administer a single dose of 700 cGy to a 6.0-cm-wide field centered on the spinal cord at the affected level, using a 6 MV Varian 600C linear accelerator. We will administer treatment with two fields angled 45 degrees from the vertical plane so that the skin surface for the proposed incision will not be irritated. This should prevent any wound healing problems. Only the radiation oncologist and research assistant will know whether radiation was administered. The patient and the surgeon will be masked as to the treatment.